On March 21, 2025, at the prestigious venue of the Istituto Veneto di Scienze, Lettere ed Arti in Venice, a presentation and Round Table was held on the KAŠTellieri project, a cross-border initiative that aims to protect and enhance the protohistoric castellieri of the Upper Adriatic.
Organized by Venetian Cluster in collaboration with the Istituto, the event was attended by various Italian and Slovenian experts, academics and professionals. The project, funded by the Interreg Italy-Slovenia Program, aims to bring back to life the ancient cultural heritage and intangible of the people of that time through modern interpretation and presentation with digitization and creative industries, so as to serve sustainable tourism, with a respect for the environment.
The event began with greetings from Gian Angelo Bellati, President of Venetian Cluster, Sebastiano Pedrocco of the Veneto Institute, and Anna Franco, regional referent for Veneto Region of the Interreg Italy-Slovenia Programme. Following this, Maša Saccara from the Science and Research Center of Koper explained the objectives of KAŠTellieri, focusing on the importance of preserving and making accessible ancient fortified settlements.
The meeting was enriched with a panel discussion, during which Italian and Slovenian experts exchanged views on the development of cultural heritage and sustainable tourism, with a special focus on the enhancement of protohistoric fortified settlements (castellieri) and the presentation of student projects for the setting up of the Elleri archaeological park as a concrete example of a potential development of sustainable cultural tourism. During the discussion, a broader overview of fortified settlements in Italy, Europe and the Mediterranean was offered, highlighting the opportunities for tourism development that their enhancement can offer.
“The event,” President Bellati commented, “was a valuable opportunity to reflect on the potential and challenges related to the enhancement of a unique heritage shared between Italy and Slovenia.
KAŠTellieri is part of a broader effort to strengthen cross-border cooperation and promote sustainable and inclusive models of cultural tourism, capable of enhancing the identity and historical memory of the territory.
